Chapter 1: Echoes of a Lost Brother

Seoyoon clutched her throbbing head.
They say stress is the root of all illness.
That saying wasn’t wrong. She’d known it before, but now she was certain.
‘I’m going crazy.’

Her head spun, overwhelmed by the flood of information.
It was the first time she’d felt this way since her days cramming for the college entrance exam.
“Okay… let me try to sort out everything you’ve told me.”

Seoyoon spoke calmly, carefully gauging the reaction of the person sitting across from her.
“…”

Fortunately or not, the other person showed no response.
Their face remained expressionless, save for the occasional faint smile.
That only widened the sense of distance Seoyoon had been feeling, but she pressed on, pretending it didn’t bother her.
“So, you’re saying you’re my brother, who went missing seven years ago?”

A nod.
A small tilt of the head served as the answer instead of words.
It had been like this the whole time.
They spoke in short bursts, one or two words at most.

Such extreme reticence.
This wasn’t the ‘brother’ she knew.
‘He definitely wasn’t like this.’

Her brother, Park Siu, who vanished seven years ago, wasn’t this quiet. At least, that’s what Seoyoon remembered.
But she couldn’t be certain. They hadn’t seen each other daily—only meeting occasionally when time allowed.
Fine, maybe the personality could be excused.
But if this was Park Siu, the rest didn’t add up either.

The real reason for Seoyoon’s confusion wasn’t the personality—it was the appearance.
‘They’re… too different.’

Long, pinkish hair and radiant eyes.
An impeccably elegant white ceremonial robe.
And, unmistakably, a chest larger than Seoyoon’s own.
If this was an ‘older sister,’ maybe, but no matter how you looked at it, this wasn’t an ‘older brother.’ Everything, from head to toe, was different from the Siu she remembered.

That’s why, before she could feel the joy of their reunion, Seoyoon wanted to confirm their identity.
“I need to check something. Why did you come looking for me?”

A question to verify their identity.
And a way to get that heavy mouth to open. The more they talked, the more she’d know if this was really Park Siu.
“…”

The woman claiming to be her brother leisurely sipped the Americano she’d ordered earlier.
That simple act made Seoyoon marvel despite herself. The gesture was so refined, almost old-fashioned.

Whispers.
Was it her elegance?
The other customers in the café started murmuring about them.
It had been like this since they walked in, but now it was worse. They openly gushed about the ‘pink-haired woman’s’ beauty.
‘…Maybe coming to a café was a mistake.’

For Seoyoon, an ordinary office worker unused to such attention, this was torture.
Bowing her head, she gulped down her Americano, when a refined voice rang in her ears.
A single word.
“Bitter.”
“…?”

For a moment, she didn’t understand. Then, realizing it was about the coffee’s bitterness, Seoyoon narrowed her eyes.
“Hey, I asked why you came looking for me.”
“I’ve been drinking fragrant tea for so long that coffee just doesn’t suit my taste. I should’ve ordered tea instead.”

It was the first time they’d spoken at length, but it was all off-topic.
Were they dodging the question to avoid being caught as someone other than Park Siu? It seemed plausible.
‘A scammer?’

She briefly suspected one of those ‘returnee impersonation scams’ she’d heard about, but shook her head. They were too calm for that.
“If you keep avoiding the question, I’m leaving.”

Seoyoon finally laid down an ultimatum.
At that, the pink-haired woman, who’d been so relaxed, finally answered.
“The reason I came to you is simple. You’re my only acquaintance. More precisely, we grew up together in the orphanage.”
“…”

In that moment, the doubts lingering in her heart melted away.
Other emotions flooded in to take their place.
Longing, sorrow, joy, relief.
Among the swirling feelings, Seoyoon latched onto the deepest one.
“Are you… really Siu oppa?”

Sadness.
The same emotion she’d felt when she heard her brother, who rarely left the house, had suddenly vanished.
Honestly, she’d given up hope until now.
Sure, people sometimes disappeared due to ‘possession’ or whatever, but she hadn’t held out much hope. Especially after finding a will on his old laptop.
“…Did you miss me?”

Through her tear-blurred vision, she saw a pretty face slightly frowning.
The pink-haired woman, Park Siu, narrowed her brows and spoke.
“I thought you hated me too.”
“It’s really you… You were always drowning in self-pity back then.”
“…You haven’t changed a bit. Please don’t dig up my dark past.”

Park Siu turned away, embarrassed, and sipped the Americano, wincing at the bitterness.
Watching this, Seoyoon finally relaxed. With a lighter heart, she asked.
“But why are you using formal speech with me?”

She had so many questions, but this one burned the most right now.
Why was someone she’d grown up with like a sibling being so polite?
“I don’t want to, but I have no choice.”

With a small sigh, Park Siu tapped the table and continued.
“My speech is being forcibly corrected. I didn’t expect it to apply to Korean too.”
Corrected speech?
It sounded like they’d been through something extraordinary.
“Anything else you’re curious about? Oh, that last sentence was actually informal in my head.”

Fascinating.
How did that work?
Feeling curious but pressing on, Seoyoon asked.
“Siu oppa, how did you introduce yourself earlier? Cle-something…”
“Clitia Elluke.”

With a smile that warmed the heart, Park Siu spoke.
“Just call me Elluke.”

‘Ugh, bitter.’

The reunion with coffee after so long was awful.
Was it called an Americano?
The aroma was meh, and the taste was so bitter it felt like her tongue was rotting.
She couldn’t recall if coffee was like this before her possession.

From what Seoyoon said, seven years had passed here, but she’d lived twenty years in that other world.
As a result, her memories of the past were fuzzy.
Of course, that alone wouldn’t explain forgetting basic common sense like she had early-onset dementia.
‘I went through hell.’

She’d become a saintess, defeated the Demon King with the hero’s party, and thought her hardships were over—only to face another crisis.
And when she thought that was done, more problems erupted.
Her carefully planned retirement was completely ruined. She’d intended to stay in that world, but ended up returning here.
‘Pisses me off.’

Recalling it soured her mood, so she quickly shook off the thoughts.
Just then, Seoyoon asked another question.
“Elluke? Should I call you Elluke oppa?”
“Hmm.”

Elluke oppa?
It didn’t sound right. She shook her head.
“Call me Elluke unnie.”
“…Unnie?”
“Yes. That feels better.”
“…”

Seoyoon gave her a strange look.
What was wrong? Was calling her ‘unnie’ that hard?
“What’s the matter? Do you find this coffee bitter too?”
“No, it’s not that. It’s just… hard to adjust. My brother is now my sister…”
“Then think of it this way.”

She lifted the corner of her mouth and grabbed Seoyoon’s hand on the table. Feeling her flinch, she ignored it and continued.
“Park Siu died seven years ago, and you gained a new older sister, Clitia Elluke. That should make it easier.”

This was advice for Seoyoon and a resolution for herself.
She didn’t want to go back to who she was. After living a new life, she’d finally found true happiness and passionate love.
Clitia Elluke.
She loved the current her and wanted to live like this forever.
“Okay… Uh, unnie…”

Still awkward, Seoyoon stumbled over her words.
Well, she hadn’t been used to this life from the start either, so she understood.
“Anything else you’re curious about?”
“Not right now.”
“Good. Then let’s get up. We need to go.”

She stood first, not forgetting to chug the rest of the Americano. It’d be a waste to leave it.
Seoyoon stared blankly before hurriedly standing.
“Go? Where?”
“Not a specific place, just somewhere less crowded. Your place would be ideal.”
“My place?”

Caught off guard, Seoyoon hesitated before speaking.
“You’re not planning anything dangerous, right?”
“Absolutely not.”

It wasn’t a lie. It might be a bit annoying and noisy, but still.
“…Let’s go.”

Seoyoon led her out of the café and headed straight for her place.
Since the café was in the city center, a stroll through Korea’s streets after twenty years began naturally.
It felt nostalgic at first, but the excitement faded quickly.
‘Nothing special.’

The streets were just streets, devoid of any hometown charm.
It couldn’t be helped. The old her rarely left the house, living like a recluse.
The Korean signs were somewhat comforting, though they didn’t stir her heart.
Alternating between disappointment and boredom, they arrived at Seoyoon’s place.

An apartment ten minutes from the café, twenty stories tall, in a decently convenient area.
“Let’s go in.”

Seoyoon’s place was on the 15th floor.
Beep beep beep.
The sound of the keypad felt novel after so long.
But the security seemed lax. Probably because she was used to the stringent systems created with holy arts.
‘Occupational hazard.’

She shook her head slightly and entered Seoyoon’s home.
A decently spacious living room.
Seoyoon tossed her handbag onto the sofa and spoke with a tense expression.
“Is this okay?”
“Yes. Thank you for indulging my sudden request.”

Seoyoon was kind, as expected.
It was a relief her only acquaintance in this world was someone like her.
“Seoyoon-ssi, to be honest, I’d like to stay with you for a while. Is that okay?”

She asked politely.
The automatic speech correction was handy here—it made even casual words sound courteous.
“You want to stay at my place? I’m fine with it, but…”

Seoyoon trailed off, staring at her intently.
“That’s not all you’re here for, is it?”
“…”

She’d already seen through her sneaky intentions. Sharp as ever.
‘Sorry.’

In times like this, boldness was the way to go.
“I’ll call them.”
“Call who?”
“Come out.”

The moment she spoke,
Crackle.

The air split, and a tall, handsome man stepped out.
He held a baby in his arms, with two adorable girls clinging to his sides.
“Let me introduce you.”

Avoiding Seoyoon’s eyes, she spoke.
“My husband.”
“…”

Silence.
Seoyoon, frozen for a moment, rushed over and placed both hands on her shoulders.
“And the kids with him?”
“My son and daughters. The eldest two are twins, and the youngest was born recently.”
“…”

Another silence, longer than the last.
Finally, Seoyoon shouted.
“Oppa! You had three kids?”
“…That’s how it turned out.”
“How did this happen?”

Instead of a long explanation, she gave a wry laugh.
“It’s a long story.”

Long story short, she’d somehow ended up a mother of three.
That sentence summed up her current life perfectly.